Target Corporation (TGT) is an international general merchandise and grocery retailer founded in Minneapolis, Minnesota that works to ensure that the customer is provided with the opportunity to purchase a wide variety of goods such as household products, electronics, pharmacy, personal care products, grocery goods, clothing apparel, and sporting goods in order to achieve customer satisfaction at a discounted price in order to remain competitive within the industry. The primary goal for Target is to overcome their various competitors within the industry in order to generate profit through continuous innovation and delivering outstanding value at each Target location in order to be the preferred shopping destination amongst the customer. In
Target Corp. sells both items produced by other companies as well as sells items they have produced themselves. Target only sells the products they produce in their stores so they don’t have to worry about filling orders for other companies or be worried about demand from another company decrease. They are in control of their own supply and only have to worry about their own stores and the supply needed in house. While Target does produce some of their own goods, I would say their product or service is the shopping experience. Target Corp wants the consumers to choose them over all the other options there are out there that may offer similar products.
Target Corporation is the second largest discount store retailer in the United States following Walmart. Target provides high-quality, trendy merchandise at logical prices. As of today, Target has more than 1800 retail stores and 38 distribution centers in the United States. The first official store was opened in 1962 in Roseville Minnesota and have thrived every since. I will be analyzing Target’s financial statements and communicating the results to our decision makers (Target 2017).
Target Corporation, founded by George Draper Dayton, opened its first doors in 1902 in Minneapolis as Dayton Dry Goods Company. Dayton’s ethics and belief in “the higher ground of stewardship” is what molded his organization (Target through the years). Dependable merchandise, generosity and honorable business practice defined Dayton Dry Goods Company. Throughout the years, this company went through different leaders that have adopted changes to bring this company to success.
In fact, Target’s stores operated in Canada for a period shorter than two years. In mid January 2015, the company announced that it had plans to close down its stores in Canada (Dahlhoff, 2015). Although customer opinions varied on the company’s stores’ closure, the truth behind the closure was that the management failed to uphold several principles of project management.
Target was fined by the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) Because Target was failing to stop the percentage of pesticides used in it’s products. On Dec. 9th 2010 28 workers making clothes for Target and other companies were killed in a fire in Bangladesh and Target has never responded about the incident since. Target ended its use of endangered tropical furniture for their outdoor and child furniture. The Campaign for Safe Cosmetic showed a report that they tested Targets bath products and 23 out of 28 contained a hazardous chemical.
After working in banking and real estate, native New Yorker, George D. Dayton decides to explore Midwest markets. Dayton notices Minneapolis offers some strongest opportunities for growth and so decides to purchase land on Nicollet Avenue and forms Dayton Dry Goods Company – today known as Target Corporation (“Target through the Years”). “Target Corporation is an upscale discount retailer that provides high-quality, on-trend merchandise at attractive prices in clean, spacious and customer friendly stores” (“Corporate Fact Sheet”). Today, target operates 1,829 stores in United States, which has enabled the company to grow to the top of the retail store market. It has implemented various techniques and strategies to constantly improve and ensure the effectiveness and efficiency of all operations (“Corporate Fact Sheet”).
I. Strengths of TARGET Corporation Target Corporation is one of the largest and oldest public discount retailing company operate in the United States. The company founded in 1902’s by George Dayton (as also known as Dayton Dry Goods in 1962’s). Target store has a huge store footprint and enjoys considerable brand recognition. Target’s portfolio of owned and exclusive brands is also its strength, which allow retailer to a valuable differentiating lover in high competitive retail environment.
Retail positioning aims to provide competitive edge by differentiating the retailer from its competition. This differentiation can be achieved through retail offerings that appeal to, and are easily identifiable to by its target market. This process is done by selecting market segmentations and matching them to the retail offerings as precisely as possible. It is vital to understand the consumers needs and wants in order to make a proper match and be distinguished from other retailers. Nordstrom distinguishes itself from other retailers by positioning itself as an upscale fashion store with outstanding customer service, and its multichannel approach.
Target has over 1,700 locations as of 2016 and it has 341,000 employees. This retail company offers clothing and accessories, beauty and health products, electronic, furniture, food, gardening and pet supplies, toys, appliances, and more. TASK 1A (P1.1) Target Corporation is a public company. This type of organization means that Target has the permission to sell its registered securities
Target Corporation is one of the famous retail stores in the United States which is founded by George Dayton in 1902. Walmart is the main competitor to Target because these companies have similarities such as goods, services, business form, and customers. To compare Target to Walmart is logical because people can determine and analyze advantages and disadvantages in annual financial statement between Target and Walmart. Target and Walmart have different data on investment activities which are important to their companies. Investment activities are, uses necessary resources for operating of their companies which include computers, delivery trucks, furniture, buildings.
Since Target Corporation is accessible in different places around the world, changes in rules and regulations of different countries it operates might impact on Target’s performance. It may also cause additional costs and expenses. this is associated especially to health, security and business laws. On social environment, Target annually do volunteering. They have a Target Books for School Award which allows them to give away $500 worth of books to local
Market Segmentation: To be of value market segments must be measurable, substantial, accessible, differentiable, and actionable (Kotler & Keller, 2012). Segmentation of demographics for Costco is vast as the current product offerings include all genders, ethnicities, incomes. age groups, and social classes. When considering demographics, it is important to consider the average or typical characteristics of the target market. As mentioned earlier the target market or focus for this company is supplying the small- to medium-sized business and targets the middle- to high-end consumer with its private label brand Kirkland Signature.
McDonald’s is the world’s largest restaurant chain, serving a total of 69 million people a day at 34,000 restaurants worldwide. While facing a tough competition, McDonald’s has chosen to launch a new product to sustain competitive advantage as well as to attract customers in the ’18 to 32 years old’ range, which they have struggled with up to today. They launched the McWrap on April 1, invented by the 47 years old vice president and executive chef Dan Coudreaut. The McWrap is meant to be a healthier choice than the products McDonald’s are in general known for, as well as to compete with competitors such as Five Guys, Subway and Chipotle. However, people assimilate McDonald’s to junk food unlike the ”Subway buster”.
2. Customers: As the recession hit, unemployment rose and people started becoming more responsible with money, the consumer priority changed. Since Target was known for style, fashionable in slightly higher price, in the end, they hurt themselves. Target should have done a lot better of a job in providing customer